Educational appliance



April 21, 1931- H. E. CONKLIN 1,801,724

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE- Filed Deo. 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor HEm? an (70/316502,

April 21, 1931- H. E. CONKLIN 1,801,724

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 dttorncgApril 1931- H. E. CONKLIN 1,801,724

EDUCATIONAL APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 11, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Enventor JETE2")? e19} onirlz'n attorney Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE amas filed December 11, 1929. Serial This invention relates toeducational appliances and more particularly to models, having for itsobject to provide a construction simple in parts, and more illustrative6 of the matter portrayed than those heretofore proposed.

With these and'other objects in view the invention resides in the noveldetails of con struction and combinations of parts more 10 fullyhereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

ferring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews,-

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevational view of the major portion of the model,said view showing the interior construction and taken as on the line 1-1of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the model; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view ofthe model taken as on the line 33of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, to

better illustrate certain details of construction.

In the past twenty-five years it is noticeable that able investigatorsof, and commentators on, the English drama of the reign of Elizabethshow increasing concern about the dramaturgy of the period and thenature of the stage and playhouse, as evidenced by several prominenteducators. This invention is the result of much study and reference towhat has heretofore been considered and constitutes an appliance of higheducational value in that it is believed to portray the Globe Playhouse,the house for which all but a possible half dozen of the thirty-sevenplays of Shakespeare were written, together with many other plays ofother dramatists, e. g., Beaumont and Fletcher.

Ten years of teaching in college and university of courses involving thereading and study of Shakespearean p ays convince me that the greatmajority of students in this country have but vague, indefinite and forthe most part incorrect notions of the nature 50 of an Elizabethan stageor playhouse. Even No. means.

picture or proscenium stage over the Elizabethan apron sta e.. Fewpersons nowadays realize thoroug ly that change of scene then meant achange of location on the stage, moving the action from one part toanother, rather than the lifting and dropping of a front curtain. N 0stage nowadays has a roof, painted like the sky, supported by largepillars resting on the middle of the platform. N 0 one nowadays sitsuponthe stage to see the show, as then they did. No one now attends a playin a house the center of which is open to the sky. 1

In this appliance it is believed there can be found represented in theirorder, proportionate size and position every element thought to havebeen present in the Globe Playhouse. An actual construction of thisappliance has n favorably regarded by two eminent American students ofElizabethan drama of professorial rank in prominent Americanuniversities; it has been very successfully used in university classes;it has been pronounced illuminatin by a nationally known 35 Americanplayer 0% Shakespearean parts; therefore its educational value cannot bedisputed. It is built to the scale three-eighths of an inch equals onefoot and is therefore capable of being handled readily and is not solarge as to be cumbersome nor so small that the interior parts cannot bemanipulated. It is designed to be built entirely of flat parts, withouthinges, pins, bolts or other mechanical devices, with the exception ofclips which slip over the upper edges of the eight sides and hold theupper ends of the joints of those sides. The separable parts are fittedtogether by means of cleats and grooves only, exce t for the uppercorners mentioned, and t e 100 entire structure is maintained inposition by these cleats, etc. Any smallest attachment of the entiremodel may be removed and replaced, by simple motions, without tools orspecial appliances.

Referring particularly to the drawings there is shown a base member 1preferably made in two pieces each of which is provided with suitablegrooves 2 into which are stopped the lower extremities of the sides 3 ofthe building, there being shown eight of these sides five of which aresupported by one of the base members, the other three being supported bythe The reason for this is to enable a division of the building asindicated in Fig. 2 whereby, when the forward or front portioncontaining the three sides is moved away from the rest of the building,the interior structure will become readily visible. The sides of thebuilding are preferably secured together by clips at their upperextremities at the joint between two adjacent sides, said clips notbeing illustrated as non-essential to the invention but being of suchcharacter that they may be readily attached or detached, thus enablingthe disassembly of the appliance which may then be packed insubstantially flat shape and carried from one place to another.

Each of the sides 3 is provided with cleats such as 4 of sufiicient sizeonly to support the outer peripheral edge portion of the severalgalleries and ceiling. In this connection the a pliance is supplied witha lower floor 5, a first balcony 6, and an upper balcony 7 each of whichis provided with a tiered platform such as 8 representative of thesupport for the chairs for the spectators. Each of the members 5, 6 and7 is made substantially circular in form as shown in Fig. 2 wherebythere is provided a large central open space extending from the basemember 1 upwardly to the ceiling or heavens such as 23. Railings 9 andspaced pillars 10 are disposed along the inner peripheral edges of thesemembers, the pillars supporting the balcony or ceiling thereabove, seeFig. It is to be particularly observed that the first balcony 6 extendsbeyond the lower floor 5, and that the second balcony 7 extends beyondthe first balcon 6 and the inner peripheral edge of the ba conies iscircular instead of being formed parallel with the outer side walls 3 ofthe building.

More particularly referring to Fig. 2 the stage 15, of the apron type,extends inwardly toward the center of the building, and in factits'front edge lies in a central vertical plane thereof. The stage isrectangular and on substantially the same elevation with the main floor5 above described, but both the main floor and the stage are elevatedabove the ground floor represented by the base member 1 thus creatingthe pit 16 which other of the base members.

- small winch, not shown,

is of approximately semi-circular shape. Access to the pit is obtainedby a flight of steps 17 extending from the main floor 5 which latter isreached from the exterior of the building through the main entrance door18. 19 are windows placed at various and appropriate locations in theside walls 3 of the building and 20 is an exit from the building locatedbehind the stage. A railing 21 extends around the edge of the apronstage 15 and near the two outer corners of said stage are disposed heavypillars or columns 22 extending to and supporting the ceiling or heavens23. With particular reference to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be observed thatthe heavens include an outer ceiling or protecting cover over thebalconies and a central portion extending only over the stage, thusleaving a,semi-circular opening 24 through which the true heavens couldbe viewed.

The apron stage is provided with a plurality of trap doors 25, as wellas vertical partitions 26 and-27 disposed to the rear and on either sidethereof leaving an opening or passageway 28 therebetween through whichthe actors enter and leave the apron stage. Supporting columns such as29 are located at the extremity of said partitions next said passageway.In other Words, the passageway 28 connects the apron stage with therearmost portion of the building from which the actors gain the apron,and curtains, not illustrated but understood, are provided for thisopening. Stairways 30 and 31 connect the various floors of the buildingbackstage while the stairway 32 is provided to reach the hutch 33 whichis the building disposed upon the structure 23 called the ceiling orheavens. The hutch, preferably preformed because of its relative smallsize, is fitted in place over extensions or cleats secured to the uppersurface of the heavens, and is provided with a gable and a tower thelatter supporting a flagpole as clearly indicated in the drawings. Thehutch may contain suitable appurtenances to the stage such as smallpieces of scenery, chairs, etc. as well as a by means of which a thronechair may be lowered through the hatchway 34 in the heavens to the stageproper.

The opening 28 above described connects the apron and inner stages, thelatter being that portion 35 of the stage disposed under the firstbalcony and centrally of the apron 15. The inner stage has side wallssuch as 36, each provided with a door such as 37 through which theactors gained said stage from the wings, and a rear wall 38 providedwith a double door 39. The members 36 and 38 are secured in place asshown in Fig. 2 through the use of cleats and an interlocking of oneedge of each side wall and its associated balcony partition as indicatedat 46. Immediately above the inner in two units,

stage 35 and between the first and second balconies is the balcony stage40 with a railng 41 at its front edge, columns for supportmg the floorabove, side and rear walls simiar to the corresponding parts 36 and 38,and curtains not shown but understood. The space between the main floorand the second balcony and behind the vertical partitions 26 and 27 isseparated from the rest of the auditorium by partitions such as 42 and43 extending inwardly toward the apron stage from the outer walls of thebuilding, see Fig. 2, each partition being provided with a door such as44adapted to close a passageway between the auditorium and the spacereserved for the players. These partitions have their outer vertical edes secured in place by the vertical cleats 47 isposed on the outer walls3, and their inner vertical edges held in place by the stage balconypartitions or walls 26 and 27 which, in turn, are preferably secured bysliding enga ement with dove-tail grooves or slots forme in the inneredge of the balcony floor sections, as respectively shown at 45 and 48.The balcony partitions .26 and 27 aremade in one P1806 each providedwith a bay-window lndicated at 50 in the first balcony level and with adoor such as 51 on the main stage level, the upper or balcony portion ofsaid partition being offset from the plane of the lower or main floorportion as indicated at 52 in F g. 3 and the faces of said partitionsbeing suitably decorated in accordance with the Elizabethan style ofarchitecture thus representing the outer faces of a house or buildin Theroof of the building comprises a gable construction 55 provided with acovering 56 imitating thatch, said gable being supported by the outerwall sections 3 and short vert1cal wall portions 57 extending upwardlyfrom the ceiling or heavens 23. The roof is substantially octagonal inshape, being a succession of gables, one for each outer wall 3, andentirely surrounds the hutch 33 and the heavens 23, when the model isassembled. It Wlll be understood, however, that the roof is made oneassociated with the ma]or portion of the model and the other associatedwith the smaller portion of said model, the ends of the roof units lyingin the vertical planes of the joints 60 and 61 between said modelportions. As above stated the purpose of building the model in twoportions is to permit a full interior view of the device when theportions are separated. The roof portions are made separable from thewall and the hutch merely rests upon the heavens, and the heavens andthe alconies, as well as the floor, are readily separable from the wallsections and from each other, columns 10, 22 and 29 having pins in theirends which fit suitable in the heavens, the balconies and the mam floorsecceiling structure,

but has integrally formed therewith the apron and inner stages 15 and 35respectively. Further the balconies 6 and 7 by unitarily extending fromthe joint 60 to the joint 61 make the by WlllCll entrants were andbalcony seat sections. Each bay-window 50 is made with extendingflanges, insertable through suitable slits in the balcony partitions 26and 27, which may be bent to secure said bays in place, and the windowsof each bay are provided with pins serving as hinges and either mica,celophane or other material in imitation of glass. The doors such as 51are also made movable, and disposed to one side of each door is therepresentation of some opening having a part in some play, such forexample as the barred prison window 66 and the wooden shutter 67 both ofwhich are separable from their partitions and held t ereto by meanssimilar to those employed with respect to the bay-windows.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction as well as arrangements of parts without departing from thespirit of the invention, and therefore it is not desired to be limitedto the fore going except as may be required by the claims.

hat is claimed is 1. A theater of polygonal shape consisting of aplurality of parts, one part containing the stage, the other partcontaining a gallery, the line of division between said parts beingalong diagonals of the theater.

theater of polygonal shape consisting of a plurality of parts, one partcontaining the stage, the other part containing a gallery, the line ofdivision between said parts being in vertical planes along diagonals ofthe theater.

3. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing the stage and a portion of the gallery, the other partcontaining another portion of the allery, a line of division betweensaid parts ing along a diagonal of the theater.

4. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing the stage and a portion of the gallery, the other partcontaining the rest of the gallery, a line of division between saidparts being along a diagonal of the theater.

5. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing the stage and a portion of the gallery, the stageseparated from the backstage space by 19 a partition in prolongation ofthe gallery edge, the other part containing the rest of the gallery, aline of division between said parts being along a diagonal of thetheater.

6. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing the stage and a portion of the gallery, the stageseparated from the backstage space by a partition extending from thestage floor to the uppermost gallery, the other /part con- 5; tainingthe rest of the gallery, a line of division between said parts beingalong a diagonal of the theater.

7. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing '15; the stage and a portion of the gallery, the stageseparated from the backstage space by a partition interlocking with agallery floor, the other part containing the rest of the gallery, a lineof division between said parts as being along a diagonal of the theater.

8. A miniature theater of polygonal shape consisting of two parts, onepart containing the stage and a portion of the gallery, the stageseparated from the backstage space by :5 a partition, said partitioninterlockingly engaging grooves formed in a gallery floor, the otherpart containing the rest of the gallery, a line of division between saidparts being along a diagonal of the theater.

4g 9. A theater including agallery, an apron stage, an inner stage, anda balcony partition disposed between the gallery and the inner stage andseparating the apron stage from the space backstage, said partitioninterlockingly 43 engaging a gallery floor.

10. A theater including a gallery encircling said theater, an apronstage, an inner stage under a portion of said gallery, and a balconypartition adjacent said apron and r inner stages and interlockinglyengaging the gallery floor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY E. CONKLIN.

